Submission on the International Treaty examination of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement

It is the general public of New Zealand who will be most impacted by the TPPA, and it has a particular impact on the Treaty of Waitangi and Maori rights and interests.

Public concerns have tended to be dismissed as unimportant and uninformed. One can justifiably argue that New Zealanders need public consultation to become informed. It is also disingenuous to suggest government has had or intends to have "extensive public consultations" on the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) when New Zealanders have petitioned for and been denied consultation since negotiations began in 2010.

Regulating bodies often give approvals based on official acceptable daily intake level of mercury. Unfortunately, such decisions rarely if ever take into account the cumulative effects over time of the application in question, of like applications, other sources of mercury, and/or the interaction with other elements. Despite daily doses for methyl mercury being calculated (US EPA figures), the fact remains that they are calculated on an ‘average’ human when no two human subjects would be the same. The figure takes no account of bio-accumulative effects from multiple sources.

Chronic mercury toxicity is claimed by some to have reached epidemic proportions. A study by New Zealander Dr Damian Wojcik[1] indicates the current common occurrence of chronic mercury toxicity in this country. In his medical practice, he checked 864 patients seen consecutively and found 30.3% of them had evidence consistent with chronic mercury toxicity[2], close to one in three New Zealanders.

PSGR urges that the 2016 Total Diet Study and all future studies should include testing for the presence of glyphosate, the active ingredient common to a range of propriety herbicides, including the most widely used internationally, Monsanto’s Roundup.

PSGR is a New Zealand organisation comprising scientists and medical professionals providing an independent voice on genetic engineering technology, nanotechnology, synthetic biology, bio-geo-engineering, and other emerging technologies.PSGR has no affiliations with any political party or any vested interests.

The Commission has been asked to consult with those involved in receiving or providing regulation. PSGR members include professionals who have direct knowledge of regulation, and are well qualified to provide insights across a range of regulatory areas, and make cross-sector evaluations.

PSGR is concerned for the public interest and advocates long-term thinking, ethical and fair-minded regulation, and the application of the precautionary principle established internationally, to meet community expectations and the needs and protection of future generations.